Federal prosecutors say convicted agribusiness owner Scott Salyer should pay $33 million in restitution to victims of his fraudulent activities in the processed-tomato industry.

Salyer, a Pebble Beach resident, began serving a six-year prison sentence in April after pleading guilty to racketeering and restraint of trade charges.

The case stemmed from allegations that Salyer used his former company, SK Foods, to engage in price-fixing, bribery and mislabeling food products to sell tomato products to major food companies.

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Karlton initially said he would leave the matter of restitution to civil courts because the judge believed Salyer was broke.

But a federal appeals court ruling in favor of Morning Star Packing Co., one of SK Foods' major competitors, ordered Karlton to consider restitution claims.

In court papers filed Friday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Khasigian said the court should order Salyer to pay about $33 million to victims of SK Foods' bribe payments, which were used to get major food companies to buy from SK Foods rather than from competitors.

Among 13 pending restitution claims are $18.3 million sought by Morning Star, $3.3 million sought by Frito Lay, $800,000 sought by Kraft Foods, and $5.6 million sought by SK Foods' bankruptcy trustee.

The prosecutor says calculating the losses may be tedious, but it is not complex.

"The court should recognize Salyer's arguments against restitution for what they are: a campaign to manufacture complexity so that he can avoid the financial consequences of his crime," the prosecutor said in court papers.

The magistrate judge hearing the matter set up a schedule for parties to file written arguments through November.